title: Female vibration discourages male courtship behaviour in the Amarillo fish (Girardinichthys multiradiatus).
abstract: Amarillo fish females (Girardinichthys multiradiatus) vibrate when conspecific males approach them; the reason behind this behaviour is unclear. Hypotheses are that females vibrate either to avoid aggression from males or to court them. We prevented females from vibrating by temporarily blocking their lateral line organs and eyes, on the assumption that they rely on these senses to detect approaching males. Females with the lateral line organs obstructed vibrated less frequently than females with the lateral line intact, indicating that the mechanosensory lateral line system is necessary for perceiving approaching males. Males displayed more courtship behaviour to sighted females with the lateral line organs obstructed than to sighted females with the lateral line intact. A general tendency indicated that the less the females vibrated the more the males courted them. These findings indicate that female vibration discourages male courtship behaviour.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Fisiología, B. Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Avenida 14 Sur 6301, Colonia San Manuel, Puebla, Pue 72570, Mexico.
authors.forename: Lourdes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martínez Medina
authors.forename: Constantino
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Macías Garcia
authors.forename: Amira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Flores Urbina
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Manjarrez
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moyaho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003380:Courtship; D003532:Cyprinodontiformes / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D014732:Vibration
keywords: Cobalt; Freshwater fish; Goodeinae; Lateral line organs; Viviparous fish